SMITH/GREY Jewelry - Processes

Some snapshots of the duo at SMITH/GREY doing what they do best - creating cool and unique wares.  Oh lord, this sure makes me want to get my metalsmithing and lost-wax casting game on!

via.

Pattern & Lettering : Sasha Prood

How cool are the patterns and hand-letting created by artist Sasha Prood?  Check out her online portfolio, she has a lot of neat pen, pencil, and watercolor illustrations and digital logo designs as well!

via Behance.

Friday Five - On a Wednesday

[Fun internet finds for your Friday -- on a Wednesday.  Because patience is a virtue I have yet to master.]

1// Got berries in your fridge that are just on the cusp of going bad?  No worries, turn those babies into some homemade, all-natural fabric dye.  (Hey, blueberries, hiding waaay in the back of the fridge, you're gonna make a lovely purple hue this weekend!)

2// Pompoms are the cutest, little, decorative knick-knacks and are are super easy to make.  I love this pompom garland by Jenny of Wiksten.

3// I stumbled upon Andrew Tomayko's photography randomly through Instagram and I've been enamored ever since - free-spirited and wanderlusty moments in time.

4// Earlier this week, the pinterest gods lead me to Refinery29's Holiday 2011 DIY Gift Guide, with three awesome crafts to make on a budget.  Considering I'm a sucker for pink/neon/flowers/plants/everything in between, this DIY Neon Hanging Planter definitely caught my eye as a must-do!  Now, to find the time...

5// This is probably the most beautiful, world map I've ever laid eyes on.  You can purchase it with a magnetic layer underneath, which would be perfect to put little magnetic markers on of all of the places you've been and all of the places you'll go.

I hope the sun is shining as brightly where you are as it is here.  Happy Wednesday!

Downton Abbey Paper Dolls

[If you mispronounced 'Downton' as 'downtown,' you need to get on the bus.]

WHOA.  Downton Abbey paper dolls? - Um, whose job is it to channel the hilarious nuances of a masterpiece theater series in outstanding and accurate, illustrative form?  Seriously, who's profession is that?  And someday, can it be mine?!

(Answer: Kyle Hilton - you are my fave.  Check out more of his work and paper dolls from a crapload of tv shows.  Spoiler alert: There are paper dolls of "The Gang" and the cast of Parks and Rec.  Consider your work day done.)

swiped from bigBANG studio.

travelust: The Hearst Castle

Peggy Wong's photographs of the Hearst Castle are so eerily pretty, with their parched, but vibrant, sun-washed feel.  This place is a must-go the next time I happen to be anywhere near the west cost.  #soonerratherthanlater

Where are you wanderlusty for?

eatdrink: Green Juice - Treat Yo Self

[otherwise known as adventures in juicing.]

Alicia's recent post (green smoothie) along with this article from mindbodygreen (Unleash Your Inner Super Hero, by Tiffany Cruikshank) got me thinking that I wanted to create my own powerful, AM elixer - besides the go-to, soy latte that has become a daily (expensive) treat.

Drinking fresh juice from an assortment of veggies and fruits is supposed to be a wonderful way to start your day, as it packs a ton of vitamins and nutrients into a tasty, RAW beverage.  And because it's just the juice, your stomach doesn't have to waste energy digesting the roughage - all of that healthy stuff gets absorbed by your body muchMUCH faster.

I'm not one to have the patience to follow a recipe - if something speaks to me, I usually end up throwing it into the pot (or juicer).  That being said, I ended up using only what I had in my fridge this morning to make my first juice:

- 1 organic apple  *This made the juice much sweeter than I anticipated, so in the future I'll be using 1/2 an apple.
- 3 baby carrots *Again, carrots are naturally very sweet and high in sugar, limit accordingly!
- 4 BIG handfuls of organic kale.
- yield: ~12 ounces of juice (although this may vary depending on your juicer).

And the results.... green and DELICIOUS!  I felt spunky almost immediately and had that happy buzz that can only be felt when you do really good things for yourself.  7:30 in the morning doesn't get much better.

A few things I will be doing next time:
- Juice the kale and other "dry-ish" veggies first.  Watery fruits and veggies (apples, pears, celery, melon) should get juiced last, as all of the water expelled from them them helps "rinse" any stubborn juice out from the juicer and into your cup.
- Also, try adding celery, cucumber, spinach, lemon, ginger, berries... Pretty much any fruit or veggie you can get your hands.  It will taste good! Or it won't... but at least it will be good for you.
- Lastly, save the pulp, post-juicing.  I've read that it's great for anything from composting, to using in breads, to making stir fry, veggie stock or a smoothie with.

Happy green drinking!

eatdrink: Nut Milk Recipe

We're all quite aware about the most popular of non-dairy milks these days:  Hello soy and almond milk, good to see you guys again.  But, did you know you can make nut milk at home?  What about... pumpkin seed milk?  Hazelnut milk?  Or Brazil nut milk?  I know, craziness with all of the possibilities.  I found this adorable video on How to Make Nut Milk via amerrymishap and I've been jonesing to whip up some of my own non-dairy goodness.

Bonus: it's SO EASY, raw and homemade.  Soak, blend, squeeze and drank it up kiddies!


My New Roots - How to Make Nut Milk from My New Roots on Vimeo.